Abby was a poor, friendless kid attending a private school on scholarship when Gretchen arrived at the school. Not knowing Abby’s outcast status, Gretchen is the only one to show up for Abby’s birthday party. The two are inseparable after that; that is, until one night when Abby, Gretchen, and two of their classmates take LSD and Gretchen is never the same.
Set against the backdrop of the late 1980s when stories of satanic cults were dominating the headlines, My Best Friend’s Exorcism is a fairly comedic horror story. Grady Hendrix incorporates plenty of snark into the scenes as well as numerous 80s pop culture references (each chapter title is a song title) which keep the tone light even as Gretchen torments her friends and family. The writing is superb, but it’s the strength of Abby’s character that really makes the plot work. Many teenage girls would let the friendship end, but Abby is determined to fight for and then save her friend. The retrospective nature of the story and the ages of the characters create an authenticity for a story that leaves one wondering if Gretchen was really possessed or if this was all part of the satanic ritual abuse scare.
5/5
Review copy provided by the publisher, Quirk.
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